Spurs waive Thomas as Leonard lost for 3-4 weeks

SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs waived forward Malcolm Thomas on Thursday, paving the way for a more suitable replacement after a broken bone in the right hand of small forward Kawhi Leonard depleted their perimeter corps to dangerous levels.

Leonard was injured in the first half of Wednesday’s home loss to Oklahoma City. He will miss three to four weeks following an examination on Thursday, according to Express-News staff writer Mike Monroe.

Shooting guard Danny Green is expected to miss about two more weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. The injuries will deprive the Spurs of their top two wing defenders for a stretch of roughly 11 games: at Atlanta (Friday), at Miami (Sunday), at Houston (Tuesday), Chicago (Wednesday), Sacramento (Feb. 1), at New Orleans (Feb. 3), at Washington (Feb. 5), at Brooklyn (Feb. 6), at Charlotte (Feb. 8), at Detroit (Feb. 10) and at Boston (Feb. 12).

Leonard’s timeline would place his return during the All-Star break at the earliest. Green might return at around the same time, but he said before Wednesday’s game that he could be ahead of schedule. The Spurs are also playing without starting center Tiago Splitter (sprained shoulder).

ESPN’s Marc Stein tweeted earlier in the day that the Spurs are considering adding Developmental League small forward Othyus Jeffers, who played eight minutes in one appearance with the team during the 2010-11 season, on a 10-day contract. Monroe confirmed that report via a league source.

Jeffers, 28, last played in the NBA in 2010-11, when he followed his brief stint in San Antonio with 16 appearances for Washington. Undrafted out of Robert Morris, he also played for Utah in 2009-10. Jeffers (6-5, 200) has played in 31 NBA games, averaging 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.7 minutes. He is currently averaging 22.8 points and 11.4 rebounds in 22 games with the Iowa Energy.

Thomas was signed on Dec. 3 as a project after several big games for the D-League’s L.A. D-Fenders. He made his first and only appearance for the Spurs last Sunday against Milwaukee, scoring two points with nine rebounds and two blocks. Thomas’ contract, estimated to be at roughly $700,000, became fully guaranteed earlier this month.